Donald Trump-loving high school student fighting political clothing ban

By STORM GIFFORD

|NEW YORK DAILY NEWS|

Feb 22, 2019 | 6:50 PM

Maddie Mueller, a Fresno high school senior, is fighting her school district's ban on Donald Trump-related clothing. (NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP/Getty Images)

For one California high school student, “Make America Great Again” isn’t just a slogan, it’s her rallying cry.

Maddie Mueller, an 18-year-old senior at Clovis North Educational Center in Fresno, is fighting her school district’s dress code for donning hats and T-shirts emblazoned with President Trump signage and slogans. She claims the ban infringes on her First Amendment rights, reported yourcentralvalley.com.

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“How does being a patriot in trying to show pride in your country, how is that inappropriate?” Mueller asked.

Members of a conservative activist group calling themselves the Valley Patriots — of which Mueller belongs — asked participants to sport Trump’s red MAGA hats on Feb. 20. But she was told she wasn’t allowed to on campus. She then asked if she could wear any Trump hat with school colors on it and again was told no.

“To my knowledge, Trump is not a logo, it’s a last name,” said Mueller. “It’s just our President; you can’t claim the President is a logo, sports team or affiliated with any gang.”

The Clovis Unified School District’s dress code doesn’t specify if political hats or shirts are allowed.

Mueller claims to previously have been cited for her clothing choice, including once for donning a T-shirt imprinted with the phrase: “Build the Wall.”

Former federal district judge Oliver Wanger believes both sides make valid arguments. While noting he thinks Mueller’s First Amendment right might be impeded, he conceded: “If the hat is something that could invoke violence or invoke controversy, then for the sake of the safety for students the school is in their legal right.”